Farm Bill News

Most rural Americans believe the small-town way of life is worth fighting for and support government action to strengthen rural communities.

A poll of rural voters, conducted by the nationally respected bipartisan polling team of Celinda Lake of Lake Research and Ed Goeas of The Tarrance Group, found that rural voters think for themselves and don’t neatly fit an ideological stereotype.

Today the House of Representatives rejected final passage of the House Farm Bill by a 234-195 vote.

In an even more historic move, however, the full house voted 230 to 194 in favor of an amendment offered by Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) that would cap farm program payments so they support family farmers and ranchers, not passive investors and mega-farmers.

On June 10, the US Senate passed their version of the 2013 Farm Bill. And the House of Representatives has taken up the Farm Bill this week.

We applaud the Senate for passing a Farm Bill that closes the gaping loopholes that have made a mockery of farm program payment limitations. And we thank Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) for their tireless advocacy for reducing the subsidies that mega-farms use to drive family farmers out of business.

The Senate and House Agriculture Committees debated their versions of the Farm Bill in the same week, only one day apart. This is simply unprecedented for both the Senate and the House to move a Farm Bill at the same time. It made for interesting and fast-paced work not only for us, but for those of you we alerted to add your voice to the debates.

The debate over the 2013 Farm Bill has begun on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The draft Farm Bill that emerged from the Senate Agriculture Committee would level the playing field for farm families by establishing meaningful payment limitations on traditional farm programs for the nation’s largest and wealthiest farms - up to a grand total of $125,000 ($250,000 per couple), thanks to the tireless work of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD).